Max Verstappen has issued a firm response in defense of his Verstappen Racing teammate Chris Lulham, after the British driver was subjected to a wave of online abuse following a race-altering collision at the GT World Challenge Europe season finale in Portimao.
The incident occurred during the second hour of the three-hour Endurance Cup race on Saturday when Lulham, driving the #3 2 Seas Motorsport-prepared Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 he shared with the F1 driver and Ben Barnicoat, attempted a late move up the inside of Luca Stolz in the #48 Winward Racing car at the entry of Turn 8 on the first lap after a safety car restart.
Contact ensued as Stolz turned in, sending the newly crowned Endurance Cup and combined GTWC Europe champion into a spin. Stewards deemed the move an avoidable collision and issued a drive-through penalty to the #3 car.
Having been in contention for a podium finish, the penalty dropped Verstappen Racing down to 24th position before Verstappen mounted a late-race recovery stint to finish ninth.
In the aftermath of the event, Lulham faced intense criticism and personal attacks on social media platforms, prompting Verstappen to address the situation directly on Instagram.
"I feel it is necessary to address the hate and harassment Chris received after the race. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about what happened on track, but these personal attacks are not okay," Verstappen said.
"Chris put in a really strong stint, and mistakes happen. There is no place for this kind of behaviour in our sport or anywhere else."
#3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Max Verstappen, Chris Lulham, Ben Barnicoat
Despite the setback, Verstappen took a positive view of the overall weekend: "It was an exciting weekend! I was very happy to race with our GT3 car in Portimao. There were some highs and lows, but as a team we learned a lot."
Lulham and Verstappen share a long-standing friendship built in virtual racing, having competed in countless sim racing events for Team Redline—now rebranded as Verstappen Racing.
Verstappen’s long-term vision includes creating pathways for elite sim racers to transition into real-world motorsport, with Lulham representing the first driver to enter real competition under the initiative.
Lulham expressed remorse over the clash with the Winward entry of Stolz, Maro Engel and Lucas Auer, while highlighting the team's recovery effort following a difficult qualifying session after a setup mistake.
"A ninth-place finish at the end of a rollercoaster race that looked promising. Contact with the #48 resulting in a drive-through penalty took us out of the podium hunt. Apologies to them and for how it affected their weekend," the 23-year-old said.
"It was a massive team effort to get the car turned around and on pace for Saturday's race after qualifying. A big thanks to the guys at 2 Seas Motorsport, Max Verstappen, and Ben Barnicoat."